The Appraisal Institute released on March 7 an updated version of its Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum. The form is designed to assist in the valuation of energy-efficient home features, and it remains the first of its kind specifically intended for appraisers’ use. AI originally issued its green addendum in September 2011 as an optional form to Fannie Mae Form 1004, which is the valuation profession’s most widely used form for mortgage lending purposes. The addendum allows appraisers to identify and describe a home’s green features, from solar panels to energy-saving appliances. Form 1004 devotes limited attention to energy-efficient features,...
ASC “Refer My Appraisal Complaint” Website is Up and Running The ASC’s new Refer My Appraisal Complaint website and hotline are up and running. Here is the link to the website: https://refermyappraisalcomplaint.asc.gov/ I would suggest you all take a second and read this site’s Homepage direction to consumers and maybe you will understand why the Federal Government is so deeply in debt. This is a silly attempt by the ASC to project an image of consumer protection when in essence it is nothing more than a buck passing platform to the appropriate State Licensing Agency. It even goes so far as...
The Appraisal Institute and the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers jointly sent a letter Feb. 28 to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration and the Comptroller of the Currency expressing concern about the broad reach of a proposed Interagency Appraisal Complaint form. The agencies intend to provide a copy of the form to individual complainants, who, in turn, will return to the agency for information gathering and potential referral. In its letter, AI and ASFMRA expressed concern that the proposed form may not be the most effective approach and instead recommended complaint forms...
How a Few Key Items in your Work File Can Protect You in Court I used to work with someone who had a photographic memory. Most of us are not so lucky, and have to rely on our imperfect memories and good note-taking skills. As an attorney, I document everything. I handle hundreds of cases, and without good documentation I will not remember what I did on a particular day or what support I had for a particular theory. As an appraiser, your work file is your documentation. Not only is a work file a USPAP requirement1, it can help...
A Bipartisan Policy Center report released Feb. 25 primarily focused on reducing the government’s role in the nation’s housing finance system, but it also proposed changes to current appraisal policy. Appraisal-specific recommendations contained within the 136-page report, titled “Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy,” focused on banning the use of distressed home sales as comparables by appraisers, a practice the BPC said was helping to depress local home values and impacting buyers’ ability to secure financing. The report suggested that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration should refuse to accept distressed sales as valid comps,...
The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) has issued the following exposure drafts: Exposure Draft of Proposed Changes to ADVISORY OPINION 13 (AO-13), Performing Evaluations of Real Property Collateral to Conform with USPAP Rationale: The prior version of Advisory Opinion 13 included not only advice related to USPAP, but also some interpretations of the Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines. The Interagency Work Group has suggested, and the ASB agrees, that AO-13 should focus on the application of USPAP and avoid interpretation of the guidelines. When an individual is acting as an appraiser, USPAP applies. The proposed replacement Advisory Opinion 13 illustrates that under...
ASC Letter to State Appraiser Regulatory Officials Announcing the Launch of the Appraisal Complaint National Hotline To State Appraiser Regulatory Officials The Appraisal Complaint National Hotline (Hotline) will begin operation no later than March 29, 2013. The Hotline will refer complainants to appropriate State and/or Federal agencies to handle complaints of alleged violations of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and/or appraisal independence requirements. The Hotline will direct complainants to contact you to formally file their complaint using the existing protocols established by your State. The Hotline does not initiate complaints, act on behalf of complainants, arbitrate complaints,...
Appraisal Institute Wants Details on Appraisal Hotline Operations The Appraisal Institute and the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers jointly sent a letter Feb. 12 to the Appraisal Subcommittee asking that it make its proposed protocol for operating the “appraisal hotline” available for public comment prior to its March 29 implementation. In the letter, AI and ASFMRA said that while the concept of a hotline is sound, there exists almost no understanding among state appraiser regulatory officials, practicing appraisers and real estate and mortgage professionals as to how the hotline would function or even of its intended purpose....
…You can see how difficult to become a state certified appraiser. We are fairly near the end of the continuing education cycle for appraisers in my home state of Pennsylvania. Among other topics, I’ve been presenting changes to laws and regulations, which include the new Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) standards that go into effect in January 2015. You can find the regulations here. The overwhelming response from existing appraisers is: “Do they just want to make us go away?” The new requirements will include a bachelor’s degree, as well as — in most states — 2,000 hours of experience under...
Four Reasons Why ASA & NAIFA Urge Appraisal Subcommittee to Delay Rollout of National Appraisal Complaint Hotline On February 6 ASA, along with the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers (NAIFA), sent a letter to the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) urging them to delay the planned March 29th implementation of the national appraisal complaint hotline, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. In pushing for the delay, ASA and NAIFA pointed to several issues regarding the hotline’s formation: That the appraisal complaint hotline was created in a closed process, without adequate stakeholder exposure or input; The hotline, as proposed, violates Congress’s intent...
